


Rise of the New Order

by Fardrifter



Category: Star Wars Original Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types, kinda - Fandom
Genre: Aayla Secura has a sister, Ahsoka and Rex come back, Ahsoka is rogue now, But Order 66 still happened :'(, But not himself this time, Clanker Beater lives and that is his Canon name change my mind, Eeth Koth lives, Everyone Gets A Hug, Everyone Needs A Hug, F/M, Fives is NOT just a number lol, Fives is a troll, Fix-It, Fordo is canon sorry not sorry disney, Fox gets it, Hardcase gets to blow things up and he loves it, Hevy gets to blow things up, I'm Sorry, Ima-Gun-Di lives, Kanan Jarrus is dead, Kix and Jesse live bc my heart can't take it, Rebels characters don't exist in this, Satine lives, She is MY sisters oc, Suu and Cut Lawquane's children are Force sensitive and Shaeeah's age doesn't make sense lol, Then he dies, This story is kinda OC based, except Ima-Gun-Di, fox needs a hug, he has twins before he dies, poor guy, sorry - Freeform, sorta - Freeform, they are Sith now I'm evil
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-23
Updated: 2020-12-09
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:20:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 15,506
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26058610
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fardrifter/pseuds/Fardrifter
Summary: 10 years before the Clone Wars, three children are trained in the Force. 20 years after the Clone Wars, they must use what they learned to protect themselves and their friends from the Empire. Along the way, they find younglings to train, Jedi they thought had died, and new Sith that bring darkness to the Force. Can the next generation of Jedi stop the Sith and bring peace to the Galaxy, or will the might of the dark side prove too much for them?
Relationships: 104th Battalion & Plo Koon, Bo-Katan Kryze & Orginal Female Character(s), CC-1010 | Fox/Original Female Character(s), CC-2237 | Odd Ball/Original Characters, CC-5052 | Bly/Aayla Secura, CT-00-2010 | Droidbait/Original Character(s), CT-21-0408 | Echo & Domino Squad, CT-21-0408 | Echo/Original Character(s), CT-27-5555 | Fives | ARC-5555/Original Female Character(s), CT-4040 | Cutup/Stass Allie, CT-782 | Hevy/Original Character(s), Kit Fisto & Original Characters, Kit Fisto & Plo Koon & Aayla Secura, Matchstick (Star Wars)/Original Character(s), Obi-Wan Kenobi/Satine Kryze, Original Character(s) & Original Character(s), Original Character(s)/Original Character(s), Plo Koon & Ahsoka Tano, Plo Koon & CC-3636 | Wolffe, Plo Koon & Original Jedi Character(s), Wildfire (Star Wars)/ Original Character(s)
Comments: 10
Kudos: 15





	1. Callista

**Author's Note:**

> Hello there! :) This is my first story, so please take that into consideration when commenting! If you have criticism, please make it constructive so that I can work to improve my story! I own none on these characters except for Hana Kye, Callista Maak, April and Marcus Maak, and Rowan.

Hana Kye knelt down and held her hand out to the young Togruta, who stared at it in awe before finally taking the three-fingered, delicate hand. Hana smiled gently at the child before rising up to her full height, which, as a Kaminoan, was very impressive. The little Togruta blinked her big green eyes before saying, 

"You're tall." The young one had light orange skin, almost yellow. She had white markings where her eyebrows should be that dipped halfway down her nose in a white line. By her lekku, she had a small arch, with a line running halfway through it, dipping almost down to her nose. On her cheeks she had lines that bent slightly in the middle, just two on each side. Her lekku were mostly a light cornflower blue, with zigzagging white stripes running horizontally through them. Hana Kye nodded, amused, before turning to the village leader, a tall Togruta with red skin and blue-and-white striped lekku. 

"What is the child's name? Where are her parents?" Hana asked, her voice gentle and melodic. 

"Her name is Callista Maak, Master Jedi, and she was living on the streets for almost a year." The Togruta replied, his orange-red eyes slightly nervous.

"What?! You knew she was living on the streets and you did nothing to help her?!" Hana Kye exclaimed, and her lightsaber gave a small hum through the Force, voicing it's displeasure. The village leader threw up his hands.

"Forgive me, Master Jedi! She would hiss whenever we got close, and flee if we stayed nearby. She kept saying her parents would come back for her! But-" The village leader paused, and for a second he looked as if he were about to cry. "-the fact of the matter is, her parents are dead. April and Marcus Maak were killed in a surprise akul attack, and they are never coming back for her." He lowered his head, furiously wiping away tears. Hana Kye looked at the little girl, who also had her head down. Hana sat again, glancing at the girl. 

"Did you know?" she asked gently. Callista slowly met her gaze. 

"Yes. I always knew! But part of me refused to believe that it was true! So I claimed that they were still alive, because I knew I couldn't take the truth! I'm a coward!" The little girl whimpered, and while the beginning of her statement started out fairly calm, all things considered, by the end the girl was in tears. Hana Kye opened her arms, and Callista hugged her, sobbing. 

"I'm a coward! I couldn't even bare the truth! How am I supposed to be a good Jedi when I can't even tell myself whether my parents are alive?" Callista wailed. 

"You are young." Hana Kye said. "You couldn't bare to think that your parents were gone. It's a horrible situation to be in, for one so young. But you must remember, it is perfectly okay to be afraid. You should not let your feelings change who you are, but closing yourself off entirely from emotions is not healthy either." Callista sniffled.

"Alright." she said softly. 

"Now, close your eyes, concentrate. What do you see? In a few years, imagine where you will be. But don't just imagine, allow the Force to guide you to where you're meant to be." Hana Kye instructed. Callista closed her eyes, and her forehead scrunched up, the little white markings getting all distorted. Slowly a look of peace came over her face, and she smiled slightly. 

"I see a man. And I'm older. I'm talking with the man, and beside me is a little girl. She has lekku, slightly darker blue than mine. But her face... it's human. Her skin is tan, and she has no markings. Rolling his eyes at her is a boy. He has facial markings, but no lekku. He has brown hair. Standing behind me, listening to me as I talk, is an Umbaran. She has little black swirls around her eyes, and her silver hair is in a braid. Two lightsabers hang from her belt." Hana Kye frowned. She'd been expecting something... else. 

"What else do you see?" Hana Kye asked, peering curiously at the girl through her black-and-silver eyes. 

"The vision is changing." Callista's voice became frustrated. "The Force is trying to keep something from me." Callista kept meditating until the look of calm came over her face again. Small golden orbs began to appear, floating around Callista. 

"I see... I see a large, no, massive building! And inside, hundreds of Jedi! There's a room with a bunch of seats arranged in a circle at the top. There's a Kel Dor, a Nautolan, some humans, and... another Togruta! I didn't realize Shaak Ti was on the Council!" Callista exclaimed. As she came out of the meditation, the orbs disappeared with a small *pop*.

"She isn't." Hana Kye murmured, then switched gears. "How do you know who Master Ti is anyway?" 

"She's sorta a role model for all young Togrutans." Callista answered, then looked up at Hana, apprehension in her gaze. "Is... is that where I'm meant to be? Since my parents are gone, am I meant to train as a Jedi?" Hana Kye nodded.

"I believe so. However, the choice is up to you, entirely. Whatever you want. I cannot force you to be a Jedi. It is something you must decide for yourself." Hana said, curious to see what the young one's decision would be. Callista's nose scrunched as she mulled the decision over. 

"I think... I think I should go. Go be a Jedi, like you!" Callista said, suddenly excited. 

"May I see your lightsaber?" she asked abruptly, rather shyly. Hana Kye smiled and grabbed the lightsaber from where it hung at her belt. She pressed the button and the blue blade slowly extended from the hilt. The lightsaber made a gentle humming sound, glowing brightly. 

"May I hold it?" Callista asked, her eyes nervously meeting Hana's. Hana Kye nodded and passed the lightsaber gently down to her. The humming of the lightsaber turned into a gentle purr when Callista touched the hilt. 

"How does it feel?" Hana asked, as she watched the youngling swish it slowly through the air. 

"Like it's meant to be, but at the same time, not. I can't really explain it. It doesn't really feel right, but at the same time, it absolutely does. What does it mean?" Callista murmured, clearly perplexed. Hana laughed.

"It means your lightsaber will be different from mine, some day." she explained, a smile lighting up her face as she did so. 

"Really?" Callista asked. "Hmm." Callista considered that, then nodded. "Can we head off to the temple now?" Hana nodded, and Callista ran up to the village leader.

"Goodbye, Uncle Rowan. I'm sorry I never came with you. I was scared, and I know that you were just trying to help." Callista hugged his legs, and Rowan patted her gently on her montrals. 

"Goodbye, little one. I will miss you. Train hard. Goodbye, Master Jedi." Rowan said, nodding to the Kaminoan, who smiled and held out a hand for Callista. Callista took it, and the two walked toward the shuttle waiting for them in the distance.


	2. Lora

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sha Koon finds a little Force-sensitive Kel Dor on Dorin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So. Sorry if it wasn't clear last chapter. Cal is 14 during the Phantom Menace, but last chapter she's only like 4. I will try to update every day or so, but with school you never know. Okay so story time. I really wanted to post a fanfiction, so I went on fanfiction.net and made an account. 3 Google Searches later, I found out how to actually start writing a fanfic. I wrote this whole long chapter that was like 5 times the length of last chapter, and I tried to post it. I get an 'Invalid Request.' and just like that, my ENTIRE fanfiction chapter is gone. So I'm like, "forget this, I'm gonna try AO3." I log on, make an account, and let me just say, this is SOOO much better than Fanfiction. It was really easy to make a document and post it. Anyhoo, none of these characters are mine except for Lora Moru, Don Moru, Mel Moru, Myn Moru, Fen Moru and Len Shon. And Sha's personality is pretty OC too. Also some liberties taken when it comes to Dorin, since we NEVER GET TO SEE IT!!!!

Sha Koon stepped off the shuttle into the warm Dorin air. She slowly disengaged her mask and hooked it to her belt before continuing to the village that was several meters away. The Kel Dor were a very peaceful, wise species, and rarely were hostile, and the planet was very isolated, due to its lack of oxygen. As she walked into the town, several Kel Dor stopped what they were doing to glance at her. An older female walked up to Sha, smiling lightly. 

"Outsider?" she asked, pointing to Sha's mask. 

"Yes. My name is Sha Koon." Sha said, offering a taloned hand out to the woman. The woman accepted it, and they shook.

"Koh-to-yah, Sha. A Jedi, I presume?" the woman replied, glancing meaningfully at Sha's 'saber.

"Yes. And your name?" Sha asked politely.

"Len Shon." was the woman's answer.

"Koh-to-yah, Len." Sha said, smiling. "You wouldn't happen to have a Force sensitive youngling in this village, would you? The Council told me to come here." 

"Ah, yes. Lora. You're here to collect her, I presume?" Len asked, looking Sha up and down. 

"Yes, actually. But only if her parents agree. And she must agree too, obviously." Sha replied, fumbling a bit over her words. 

"Well then, Master Jedi, right this way. I know her family well." Len said, gesturing for Sha to follow her.

"Oh no. No titles, please. I'm not a Master quite yet." Sha said humorously. Len laughed. 

"You Jedi and your titles. Right this way, then, Sha." Sha nodded and followed Len as the older Kel Dor led her to a smallish house on the outskirts of the village. Out front, several children were playing. One was a young Kel Dor boy, his black eyes full of laughter as grinned at an older girl. A young girl, maybe 3 or 4 sat on the reddish, dusty ground of Dorin, chattering happily with her parents. Sha Koon walked up to the family, and, not quite sure what to do next, waved awkwardly. She'd never been on a youngling collection mission before, so she had no idea how to talk to the parents, and no idea what to say. 'Hey, is your child Force sensitive?' felt wrong, as well as, 'Can I take your daughter to the Jedi Temple so she can learn to fight and wield a weapon of deadly force as a child?'. So she just kind of stood there until Len took pity on her. 

"Mel, Don, this is Sha Koon. Sha, this is Mel Monu and Don Monu." Len pointed at the woman first, then the man. Both stood and smiled. The other two children slowly stopped playing and stared at Sha -and her 'saber- in a mixture of fear, bewilderment, and awe.

"Koh-to-yah, Mel. Don." Sha stumbled over her words slightly. Ugh. She preferred fighting street gangs on Ryloth over talking any day. And not that she was antisocial, she just thought this was incredibly awkward. She was basically asking the family to hand over their child. The youngling's parents looked at Sha's 'saber, then at the child, then at each other. Sha wasn't quite able to read the expression on their faces. They turned toward her, the smile plastered back on their faces, but it seemed slightly fake. Though maybe Sha was just rusty at reading Kel Dor facial expressions, since Kel Dor didn't really have mouths, and she hadn't been to Dorin in-well, what was the last time? She wasn't quite sure. 

"Koh-to-yah, Sha." Mel said, pulling Sha out of her thoughts. She'd been told by her former Master, Saldith, that her mind had a tendency to wander. She didn't really think that was true thou- Len nudged her, and Sha blinked. 

"Oh! Oh, yes. Sorry. Um. So, I take it your child is Force sensitive?" 

"Yes. She is. Lora, say hello to Sha Koon." Don said, but his answer was guarded, like he expected Sha to just grab the child and run. Not that Sha could blame him. She was some stranger to them, some stranger with a laser sword from a group of people who harnessed a mystical power and were known to take children. 

"Hello, Sha Koon." Lora said, softly and shyly. She eyed the lightsaber on Sha's belt and smiled. "Can I see it?" She asked. 

"Lora!" Mel reprimanded, glaring at her daughter. "That is the weapon of the Jedi! You can't just ask to-"

"It's alright." Sha said, with an easy smile on her face. "It's really no trouble. I understand her curiosity. When my uncle first found me, I wanted to see his 'saber too." Sha unclipped the lightsaber from her belt and activated it. As the green blade slid out from the sheath, the look of wonder on Lora's face grew and grew. 

"I want to do that! I want to be a Jedi!" Lora pumped her fist in the air, not noticing the look of pain on her parents faces. Sha deactivated the lightsaber and knelt, looking the little girl right in the eye.

"It's not an easy path, little one. You have to give up all attachments, something which isn't easy. You also have to learn to quell your emotions. Attachments and relationships are forbidden, but you must also have compassion. And your parents must agree. Do you understand all this?" Lora looked up at her mother and father. 

"If they agree, and if I agree, will I ever see them again?" Her little face was anxious.

"If you are passing through Dorin, no one would blame you if you stopped to see your parents. I stopped by my old home before coming here. And as one of the only Kel Dor Jedi, there is a high chance you will be picked to find the next Dorian Jedi. For example, Bey Koon found my uncle Plo, my uncle Plo found me, and now I've found you! If the Jedi follow the pattern, then next time there is a Kel Dor youngling, you will be sent to find them, and thus may see your parents." Sha explained, going into probably more detail than was necessary, but the youngling needed to understand this, as did Mel and Don. 

"We will only agree if you can show us some sign she's meant to be a Jedi!" Don exclaimed, and he looked both sad and angry at the same time. Sha Koon shook her head.

"I'm afraid I can't do that, sir. But she can." Sha pointed at Lora, who's eyes widened in alarm. 

"What do you mean?" she squeaked. 

"Close your eyes. Concentrate on finding your center. Let the Force flow through you." Sha instructed, and she remembered her uncle telling her the same thing when he found her. Lora squeezed her eyes shut, but they slowly relaxed as she took deep breaths. Sha recognized a Jedi diving into the Force when she saw one, and she smiled to herself. "What do you see?" Sha asked, as little golden orbs began to appear around Lora, a sign of a deep meditative trance in which Jedi could sometimes view the future. 

"I see... I see a shuttle. I'm coming off of it, and I'm waaaaaaay older. Like 30 or something. And as I exit, you start yelling but you're happy, somehow. I can't hear what you're saying. I move forward and hug you, and you hug me back, anger forgotten." Lora recited. Sha frowned slightly. Not what she'd been expecting, but no matter!

"What else?" she asked, and Lora took another deep breath before continuing. 

"The vision has shifted. Now I see... a really really big building! And Jedi everywhere. It's on Coruscant, I think, because there's a massive city rising around the... the Temple, and inside there is a Jedi. She's got green skin, and brilliant blue eyes. She's a Mirialan, I think. And there I am! But I'm only a little older, this time. Maybe 15. I don't know. And I'm wearing a lightsaber! Like yours, but different." Slowly the vision faded and Lora opened her eyes, the orbs around her disappearing with a *pop*. 

"Well." Mel said. "I suppose you are meant to be a Jedi, Lora." Lora looked up at her parents, who were crushed. If a Kel Dor could cry, her parents would have been crying a long time ago. 

"Mom? Dad? I-I want to go, but I don't want to leave you guys!" Lora sniffled. Don looked at Mel, who sighed.

"Hey." she said. "We would never want to keep you from being who you're meant to be, okay? And it may be tough, but remember that we will always be here for you. You can write us, you can holomessage us, whatever you want. But go out there and be the best Jedi you can be, for us, okay?" 

"And we will see each other again." Don said, determination and pain filling his voice. 

"Okay." Lora said softly. She turned to the older Kel Dorians. "Goodbye, Myn. Farewell, Fue." The girl, Myn, ran forward and practically crushed Lora in a hug. 

"Hey!" The boy, Fue, complained. "Let me say goodbye too! It's my sister that's leaving too!" 

"Right. Sorry." Myn said, but she didn't let go. "Goodbye, Lora." she said sadly. "Go be a great Jedi!" Lora nodded and Myn let her go, only for Fue to tackle her as well.

"You can do it, sis! Work hard, and you HAVE to holomessage us, okay?" he said, and his voice was a mixture of positivity and grief, if that was even possible. 

"I will." Lora promised, and then she ran to Sha. Sha grabbed her hand, said her goodbyes to Len, Mel, and Don, and then Lora and Sha walked away, to whatever the future may bring.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed! This is main character #2 of the story so far, though Sha and Hana will definitely be touched upon to. Hope you guys enjoyed Lora so far! She's currently a little older than Callista was when Hana found her, but they are the same age in the Phantom Menace, so Cal has already been found and brought to the Jedi Temple. Oh also, Sha had a spare mask waiting on the shuttle for Lora, so that answers that question. It was sorta a one-size-fits-all temporary mask until Sha can get her a more permanent one.  
> Thanks so much for reading!  
> Fardrifter


	3. Kirysumi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A young Twi'lek girl watches as her sister leaves her to become a Jedi. This one has some feels, just gonna warn you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is going to be a bit... different. But that I mean, the first two chapters have been where the Jedi finds the youngling and brings them to the Temple. Because that's where those two's journey starts. But with Kiry here... oh boy. Her journey starts waaaaay before that. So that's just an explanation as to why there is no Jedi coming to take Kiry away. Also, my sister is infatuated with Aayla Secura, and designed Kiry to be her sister. So my sister is actually writing some of this chapter, and I'm going to be editing it and such. I own none of these characters. However, my sister owns Kirysumis', Ras'ecura, Zhams'ecura, and Clara Bunehill. Also I checked Wookieepedia and I had no idea who found Aayla and brought her to the Temple, so have an OC! Also also, there is apostrophes behind the names because of the whole Aaylas'ecura thing. So Aayla is Aaylas'ecura and Kirysumi is Kirysumis'ecura. Just thought I'd clear it up. Hope you enjoy!

Kirysumis' looked up as a stranger approached the house. The stranger was human, with long brown hair tied up in a bun and olive skin. She had flowing robes that went down to her ankles and dark eyes. A lightsaber hung from her belt, and Kirysumis' felt an instinctual sense of awe and respect. A Jedi was visiting her house. Her house. A Jedi. Wow. Kirysumis' saw her sister, Aaylas', glance over from where she was feeding the loth-cat that sometimes hung around their house. Aaylas' was just looking over at Kirysumis', puzzled, when Kirysumis' mother burst out of the house.

"Hello, Master Jedi." the girls' mother said. "What are you doing visiting our humble home?" 

"I am Master Bunehill, Clara Bunehill. I am here because I believe that you have a Force sensitive child in your home?" The Jedi said, and Kirysumis' instantly decided she didn't like this pompous Jedi. She talked like she was better than everyone, and she was regarding Kirysumis' mother as if she were a lower being than dirt. 

"I am Ras'ecura, but you may call me Ras'. And no, we do not have a Force sensitive child here. You must have the wrong house." Kirysumis' mother replied, and Kirysumis' instantly knew she was lying. Her last sentences were desperate, and she kept glancing at Aaylas' in fear, which Kirysumis' didn't understand. There was nothing wrong with Aaylas'! She didn't have this weird disease known as 'Force Sensitive'! 

"I know you are lying, Ras'. Two reasons. One, the Holocron specifically told me where the Force-sensitive child was, and two, I can feel your fear of discovery through the Force." Clara's voice was dispassionate, like she didn't care either way, as long as she got what she wanted. Question was, what did she want? Her sister? 

"Why are you here?" Kirysumis' asked, her voice a small squeak. Hmm. She had intended for it to be powerful and awe-inspiring. Clara gave a laugh, but it sounded too fake, too... wrong. 

"Oh, you didn't tell her what it means when a Jedi shows up on your doorstep? Ha! You didn't tell her about the Force? You didn't even tell the child about her sister?" Clara said, practically choking on more of that fake laughter. 

"That's enough! Kirysumis'ecura, go inside right now! Clara and I have something to discuss." Ras' said. Kirysumis' knew better than to argue when her mother used her full name, but at the same time...

"What about Aaylas'? Shouldn't you be all, 'Aaylas'ecura, go inside right now!' too?" Kirysumis' asked, and her mother gave her a fierce glare to rival that of a Lylek's. 

"The discussion... involves your sister." Ras' said, and she sounded defeated, as if the outcome of the 'discussion' was already decided. Because maybe it was. Kirysumis' nodded and slipped inside the small house. She knew her father was around somewhere, and if not here, he was down at the local tavern, working as a barkeep to earn a living for his wife and children. She searched the small house, but couldn't find him anywhere, so she assumed he was at work. 

Her father, Zhams'ecura, did not drink any sort of alcoholic beverage, though he did claim that caf kept him going. It didn't matter, because Kirysumis' knew that was a lie. She'd always known, somehow. Maybe it was because her father would come home from work, exhausted, and as soon as he saw his family, it was like someone had given him a full night of sleep, a shower, and a nice fresh hot meal, something the Secura family hadn't had in a while. 

Kirysumis' sat on the floor, pondering the appearance of this mysterious stranger. Suddenly, she leaped to her feet, an idea planted in her mind. Everything around her had always become clearer when she quieted her mind and relaxed. Once, she'd had a strange vision of a large building on Coruscant, and when she'd opened her eyes, little golden orbs had been floating around her. But when she meditated, sometimes other things happened as well. She could hear much better, and see the future if she concentrated really hard. She sat near the door, crossed her legs, and took deep breaths, quieting her mind. 

"You can't take her! I won't allow it!" Ras' was saying. Take who? Everything had been more-or-less fine for Kirysumis' family! Why did Clara have to come in and ruin everything? 

"Ras'. The child tells me she's been having dreams of the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. She tells me she can see herself training with Knight Vos. These are signs too big to ignore..." Clara's voice faded, and Kirysumis' couldn't hear anything else. She narrowed her eyes in frustration. She had to be 110% focused in order for the meditation to work, and she couldn't focus very well when her mother and some Jedi were talking about her sister! She sighed, closed her eyes, and tried again. 

"... think it would be better for her to come with me? She could be who she's meant to be." Clara said, somewhat desperately, though still with hardly any emotion. 

"I-What does Aaylas' want? Aaylas', do you want to go with Master Bunehill, or stay with us?" Kirysumis' could hear Ras' saying. Surely her sister wouldn't choose to leave! Right?

"I- I choose..." Kirysumis' hearing faded out and she hissed in frustration. She calmed slowly, taking deep breaths, and reentered the meditative state. 

"Good. Then she will come with me promptly." Clara was saying. 

"May I see your lightsaber?" Aaylas' asked, and Kirysumis' recognized the curiosity in her voice. 

"No. Anyways, we will leave at once. Goodbye, Ras'." Clara's response was cold and swift, and Kirysumis' could hear the Jedi walking away, her sister in tow. 

She heard her mother crying, but suddenly, the Force grabbed her and pulled her back into a meditation against her will. She tried to fight, tried to wake up, but suddenly she saw something. A light. Kirysumis' moved toward it, and inside the light was a building. A building she'd seen before. She saw herself walking up the stairs, and her older form looker tired, battered, bruised, but alive. Full of hope, and apprehension. The vision changed, and she could see an older version of herself, a blue lightsaber in her hand, walking toward a woman with two red 'sabers. The vision ended just as Kirysumis' saw herself ignite a green lightsaber. She saw a young girl with blue-green skin and pinkish freckles and little pink dots marching down her lekku, staring up at Kirysumis', joy in her gaze. The girl was young, and Kirysumis' was much older. She saw a Jedi fall at the hands of armored men, and suddenly the vision was over and she was back in her own body, her mother crying just outside the door, her sister being taken by the Jedi. Kirysumis' puzzled over the vision for a second, but after a couple moments, she couldn't even remember what the vision was. Had there been a vision? She ran outside and stood beside her mother, who was kneeling on the ground, sobbing. 

"Mother?" Her mother stared at her, something broken inside of her. 

"Yes Kiry?" she asked, and her eyes were haunted, her mother's, but also somehow not, and it scared her. 

"I-Where is Aaylas' going?" Ras' looked down.

"She's gone. And she's never coming back." Kirysumis' felt all the hope drain out of her. Hope that this was all just a joke. Hope that her sister would come back any second, saying, 'Just kidding!'. 

"Where? She-She's going somewhere but that’s all I know! Please tell me what is happening!" Kirysumis' begged, clasping her hands desperately. 

"She's gone. She's not coming back." Kirysumis' felt a surge of frustration. Was her mother even listening to her? 

"I know! But why? Why would she leave us!" Kirysumis' words sounded more like screams to her, the cries of a child. A child who couldn't help her mother, couldn't help her sister, couldn't help her father, couldn't even help herself. Her mother glanced at her and then stared at the ground, tears flowing faster. 

“She wanted to. She wanted to go with them. She left us." Kirysumis' gasped, shock making her numb. Tears started to flow from her eyes as well, and they dripped down her cheeks onto her little dress. 

"She wanted to...?" Kirysumis' asked, but the question was left unanswered. Mostly because Kirysumis' already knew the answer. She stood beside her mother and watched as a shuttle soared away from Ryloth, from home, from family. From Kirysumis'.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No, Clara was not a Sith. She was just one of the not-so-nice Jedi. Not on the same level as Pong Krell or anything, just a little too disconnected. So yeah. And if you're wondering how Kirysumi was able to hide Force-sensitivity, she was like Lora. Her Force powers would be discovered a while later, but because of the whole, Aayla thing, the Jedi never find Kirysumi and just assume the Holocrons are malfunctioning or something. Also Lylek is a scary scary animal on Ryloth.


	4. The Jedi Temple

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Callista finally arrives at the Jedi Temple and meets a few Jedi.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, we've come full-circle. Those are the main characters of this arc. And don't worry, there will be plenty of male characters soon, if you couldn't tell by the character list lol. None of these characters belong to me except for Hana Kye, Callista Maak, Uncle Rowan (he doesn't appear but he is mentioned), and Phazur D'an. Hope you enjoy!

Callista sat next to Hana Kye on the ride to Coruscant. Finally, as they approached Coruscant and pulled out of light speed, Callista leaped up and pressed her nose to the window in wonder, the city planet shining below. It was night, and the cities of Coruscant were lit up beautifully, the lights speckled across the darkened city corners like golden stars in the sky. Callista gasped in amazement as the shuttle maneuvered it's way into the daytime side of the planet, the tall buildings and living complexes gleaming a bright ivory. 

"I forgot you'd never been anywhere but Shili!" Hana Kye said, amused, as the girl pulled herself away from the window, leaving little nose-and-finger prints on the glass. 

"Yeah. But seriously, how are you not gasping with joy! This is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen!" Callista said earnestly. Hana smiled. She'd never really considered the beauty of the city planet, only wishing to get back to the Jedi Temple as soon as possible. She supposed even she, over one thousand years old, still had some things to learn. 

"We will be arriving at the Jedi Temple momentarily, Master Jedi." The shuttle pilot said, before going back to the shuttle cockpit. Callista gasped as the shuttle increased speed, soaring closer to the Jedi Temple before landing at the landing platform, where several Jedi were there to great them. Hana Kye gently held Callista's hand as she led her off the shuttle. The first Jedi, a Bith, smiled lightly before speaking to Hana Kye in his own language. Hana Kye replied in the same language and Callista couldn't help but feel a spark of excitement. Yeah, she was nervous. Yeah, she was scared and worried and afraid and a thousand other synonyms for 'fear'. But this wasn't so bad. I mean, she hadn't exactly left much behind, but she had still been afraid when the shuttle landed, worried about how the other Jedi would see her. She looked around past the Bith to see a lethan Twi'lek with a soft smile on her reddish face, a tall and imposing looking Kel Dor, and a... Togruta?! She walk-ran toward the Togruta, her head down. Suddenly, she bumped into a leg. She looked up slowly to see the Kel Dor looking down at her. She wasn't quite sure what he was feeling, but she could feel happiness and gentleness radiating off of him. She offered him a small wave, and the Kel Dor knelt to her level. She was almost certain he was smiling now. 

"Greetings, little one. I am Plo Koon. And you are?" he said in a deep, rumbly voice. 

"I-I am Callista. Uh, Callista Maak." Callista said, stumbling a bit over her words and remembering at the last second to say her last name as well.

"Koh-to-yah, Callista." Plo Koon said extending a hand toward her. Callista saw it had a large talon and shied away before feeling a bit of hurt filter through the Force from Plo Koon. She cautiously accepted it and said, 

"Ka-Ta-Yan. I think." Plo Koon made a rumbly sound. At first, Callista was mildly concerned, before realizing he was chuckling. 

"Would you like to go meet Master Ti now?" Plo Koon asked, rising to his full height. 

"Yes, Master." Callista said, and she walked away. As she neared the Togruta, Shaak Ti turned, revealing large white ovals over her eyes and red skin. Gentle violet eyes were encased in long lashes, and white-and-blue striped lekku hung at her sides. 

"Hello, child. I am glad to see another Togrutan Jedi within the Order." The Togruta said. "I am Shaak Ti." 

"I know." Callista said, hardly able to believe what was happening. She was meeting Shaak Ti, the greatest Togruta ever! "You were kinda my role model growing up." Shaak Ti laughed, and it sounded like tinkling wind-chimes. 

"It appears so, Initiate Maak. Now you, too, will become a legendary Jedi Knight, and someday, even a Master. Isn't fate artistic?" It was a weird question, and Callista considered it. She recalled just a few days ago, when she'd been totally prepared for death. She thought there was no one in the world who both could help her and would help her. Uncle Rowan was nice and all, but his help wouldn't have been much. She didn't want to take from him knowing that there was so little for his own family to begin with. Yes, he was the village leader, but he was leader to a very small, starving town. Now, she was happy, content for the first time since her parents death. She was alive! And truly alive at that. Not just surviving, but alive. And so she was not too surprised by her answer to Shaak Ti's strange question. 

"Yes. Yes it is." Shaak Ti blinked at her, as if she hadn't been expecting an answer, much less a somber one. But that made no sense. Why ask a question if you didn't want an answer? 

"Follow me. We will go to the Crecheroom. That is where you'll be staying when you are training at the Temple!" Shaak Ti winked, and gestured for Plo Koon and the lethan Twi'lek to follow. Shaak Ti led them into the halls of the Jedi Temple, and on the way, Callista tried to strike up a conversation with the Twi'lek. 

"What's your name?" she asked, hoping it wasn't something super complicated. 

"I am Master B'ink Utrila. A pleasure to meet you, young one." the lethan Twi'lek said warmly. Callista was relieved it wasn't hard to remember, and she filed the name 'B'ink Utrila' away, in case she ever needed help. 

"Oh. I am Callista Maak." Callista said. B'ink chuckled. 

"I know." she said. "Do you know who that is?" B'ink pointed to the Bith Jedi, who was still deep in conversation with Hana Kye.

"No. Who?" Callista had never seen a Bith before, but she'd heard about them. 

"That is Master Phazur D'an. He was Hana Kye's old Padawan. They were very close, and even now, as two Jedi, they are commonly found seeking council from one another." B'ink explained patiently. 

"Oh. Will I be Hana Kye's Padawan too?" Callista asked. She doubted it, but hey, one could hope, right? 

"Perhaps." B'ink said kindly. "Perhaps not. Maybe you will get another Jedi Master. Whoever you get, I am confident that they will be great." Callista considered this, then asked her next question. 

"Do you have a Padawan?" B'ink shook her head. 

"No, not right now." she said. "I am looking forward to getting one eventually, but for right now, I am Padawan-free." 

"'Right now'? So you did have one at some point." Callista stated. 

"Yes, very perceptive!" B'ink praised. "I did indeed have a Padawan named Rennax Omani. But she is a full-fledged Knight now, so I probably won't be receiving another Padawan for a while." 

"Is there any chance you will be my Master?" Callista asked. She hoped so. If not Hana Kye, then she wanted Shaak Ti. If not her, she wanted B'ink. And after B'ink, she wanted Plo Koon. 

"Yes, youngling. There is a high chance that you or one of the others from your creche will receive me as your Master." B'ink said, but she was starting to sound a little strained. 

"What's a creche?" Callista asked, B'ink sighed. Before the Twi'lek could answer, a deep voice interrupted.

"They never run out of questions, do they?" Callista jumped. She'd forgotten about Plo Koon. B'ink shook her head.

"No, they don't." she said ruefully.

"Then allow me to help out." Plo Koon said. "A creche, young one, is a group of younglings, or Initiates, who all live, train, sleep, eat, and study together. Some of the greatest friends have been made through creches." 

"Other younglings?" Callista knew it was foolish, but she'd kind of been imagining it would just be her and Hana Kye, and maybe Plo Koon, Shaak Ti, and B'ink Utrila. She thought she would be raised by the older Jedi, but she should've known that was a silly wish. "So I won't ever see you guys again until I become a Padawan? Really?" Callista looked down sadly. She'd liked these Jedi. Yeah, she hadn't known them very long, but there was something about their Force presences that just made her happy. She felt B'ink pat her head gently. 

"Oh, come now. Of course we'll see each other again. Me and Master Plo will stop by anytime, okay?" she replied.

"Okay!" Callista said, her mood changing in an instant. 

"Now come along, Callista, let's meet you creche-mates." Plo Koon said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oof sorry I planned for Callista to meet her creche-mates in this chapter but it kinda ran away from me. I wanted to have Callista meet the Jedi first. Not a lot in this chapter, just some exposition and character relationship building.  
> Thank you so much for reading!  
> Fardrifter


	5. Creche-mates

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Callista meets her new creche-mates, and she's not all too thrilled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay guys. On my screen, whenever I read the first chapter, the end notes are gone, and whenever I read any other chapter, the first chapter's end notes are under the chapter's end notes. Does that make sense? Is that on your screen, or just mine? This was originally going to be a Lora story, but I wanted the timeline to match up more, so I made it another Callista chapter. After Lora's chapter, Kirysumi will bring in some action with hers. I own none of these characters, except for Callista, Hana Kye, Phazur D'an, Reeta Chatzza, Fanewa Lem, and Charrua. Hope you enjoy!

Callista held Plo Koon's hand in her left hand and B'ink's in her right as they walked toward the creche where Callista would be raised. Along the way, the two Jedi would point out other Masters and Knights that were walking along the halls.

"See that Thisspiasian? That's Master Oppo Rancisis. He's on the Council." B'ink would say, and Callista would ask a few more questions about the particular Jedi. At one point, Plo Koon pointed out a Kel Dor talking with a Tholothian.

"That's my niece, Sha Koon. And the Tholothian is Adi Gallia." He said. The Kel Dor looked up as they approached and smiled. At least, Callista assumed she smiled, because she could feel Sha's joy radiating through the Force.

"Uncle!" She exclaimed, and moved forward to give Plo Koon a quick hug. "And Master Utrila. A pleasure, as always." Sha moved instantly from expressing happiness to formality. "Ooh, and a little youngling! What's your name, small one?" Back to excitement now, it seemed.

"My name is Callista." Callista said, putting her hands behind her back and swiveling from side-to-side slowly.

"Oh! Such a pretty little name!" Sha said. "Did you retrieve her, Master Utrila?"

"No, Master Kye retrieved her from her homeworld of Shili." B'ink replied stoically.

"Ah. I'm going to retrieve a youngling soon, I know it. But not yet. Nope, the Council hasn't assigned me to a youngling yet. Shame." Sha said, then immediately shifted gears. "It was great seeing you, Uncle, and a pleasure to meet you, Callista! I need to get going, unfortunately. Master Gallia and I have to meet up with Master Yoda and Master Jinn. Goodbye!" Sha waved, and walked back over to Adi Gallia, who offered a little smile in Callista's direction before walking away.

"Come now, young one." Shaak Ti said, disengaging herself from a conversation with Phazur and Hana Kye. "I will introduce you to your creche-mates and you can get comfortable with them." The Togruta Master held out a hand, and Callista hesitantly took it before glancing mournfully back at Plo Koon and B'ink Utrila.

"Aren't you guys coming?" she asked. Maybe it was foolish, but she'd been hoping that they would walk her to the creche. Plo Koon shook his head.

"No, child. I must attend a Council meeting, and B'ink has an audience with Knight Dyas. I hope to see you again." Plo said, and Callista hurled forward and threw herself into his arms, hugging him tightly, before moving back, slightly embarrassed. Plo Koon didn't seem annoyed though, he simply chuckled and patted her montrals fondly.

"I'll stop by the creche as soon as I'm able, so I can see how you're getting on with your brand-new creche-mates." B'ink offered, and Callista gave her a rib-crushing hug as well before moving to stand by Shaak Ti and Hana Kye. Phazur D'an spoke a quick word in his language and walked away. Hana Kye turned her full attention back to Callista, smiling that gentle Kaminoan smile. Callista allowed herself to be led through the halls of the Temple until they reached a small door. It honestly looked no different to Callista than any of the other doors on this corridor, but she knew that this one was important. This one had the children she'd train with until she became a Padawan. This one held her future.

She braced herself and squeezed her eyes closed as Hana Kye gently pushed the door open, not sure what she'd see. After a moment of silence, curiosity got the better of her and Callista cracked them open to see two small children, her age. The first one, an abnormally small Rodian, blinked wide black and silver eyes and gave a nervous smile. The other, a large and hairy Wookie, gave a little roar, and Callista made a mental note to study up on Wookish. She wasn't quite sure what she'd been expecting, but this wasn't it. "Go on." Hana Kye encouraged, and Callista shyly stepped forward. Shaak Ti gave a quick nod to Hana Kye and excused herself, leaving the door to the creche open. 

"My name is Callista Maak." Callista said as bravely as she could.

"My name is Reeta Chatzza." The Rodian said. The Wookie gave another roar, and Reeta rolled her eyes.

"Honestly, Charrua, I can't understand you! I've told you a million times!" she exclaimed.

"So I take it that his name is Charrua? What's his family name?" Callista asked, puzzled.

"Wookies don't really... do family names, not like Rodians and Togrutans anyways. They can tell who their family is just by their scent." Reeta said. Charrua gave a small growl and stomped his feet. Callista looked at Reeta, who stared back, equally confused.

"He says, 'Don't say it like that! You say it like it's weird'." Hana Kye supplied. Callista stared at her, dumbfounded. 

"So you speak Bithan, Wookish, _and_ Aurebesh?" she asked, just as Reeta said,

"So? It _is_ weird, admit it, Charrua!" Charrua made a small snorting sound and charged Reeta, but Callista was too focused on Hana Kye to really pay much attention. 

"I also speak Kaminoan, Twi'leki, Togrutan, and a handful of other languages that I think I might use often." Hana explained calmly. 

"Where do you find time for this?!" Callista demanded, eyes wider than ration trays. 

"Oh, you know, when you've lived for over a thousand years you pick stuff up. I never would've learned Bithan if the Council hadn't told me in advance that I would be taking Phazur on as my Padawan." Hana said, and while she made it sound all modest, Callista's attention was focused on one specific thing she'd said.

" _Over a thousand years?!?!_ WHAT?!" In the background, Charrua tackled Reeta and began playfully swatting at her, while Reeta laughed and wriggled out from his grip, blowing raspberries at him the whole time. 

"Yes, Callista. Us Kaminoans can live up to two-thousand years. I am merely middle-aged for my species." Hana Kye said serenely. Callista still couldn't believe it. 

"How many Padawans have you had? Is it ever sad to see them die? Is it sad to think that you will outlive them?" Callista could hardly stop the barrage of questions coming out of her mouth. 

"I have had many Padawans, perhaps too many to count." Hana admitted. "I am always upset when they die, but I have lost so many that at this point..." Hana Kye's voice trailed off, and Callista got the feeling that living a long time was sometimes more curse than blessing. "Once I trained a Padawan. Very young, very bright. His name was Fanewa Lem. A Kaminoan, like me. I was relieved, for this was a Padawan who would outlive me, or at the very least would stay alive longer than the others. A few days after he became a Knight, several Sith broke into the Temple and murdered him, along with a few other Jedi." Hana Kye's voice broke, and she looked down. "It is so rare that the Order gets a Kaminoan Jedi. Most Kaminoans hate Force-wielders and Jedi alike." 

"I'm sorry about Fanewa Lem. That sounds awful." Callista felt tears start to form in her eyes as she thought about how terrible that would be, to be in Hana Kye's place. On the way to Coruscant, Hana had taught her a few Jedi rules. One of them was: 'The Temple, and the Jedi within, become your new family.' Callista thought about how terrible it would be to lose your family over and over, and when you finally had some hope, it was extinguished. 

"No, it is I who is sorry, Callista. I should not have burdened your young mind with such a grave conversation. Go now, make some friends." Hana Kye said, and she walked away, her silver robes swirling around her ankles. Callista glanced over her shoulder, where Reeta and Charrua, done with play-fighting, were both staring at her. She gulped. 

"Uh, so. Hi. I'm Callista." she said.

"I know." Reeta replied. "You already told us. And 'Callista', hmm? I like it, but I like Cal better. So, Cal, would you like to come play with us?" Cal considered this.

"Yes." she said with a smile (and a confidence boost). "Yes I would.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so begins a lifelong friendship... So I wasn't sure if there are dinner plates in the Star Wars Universe, so 'eyes wider than ration trays' is the equivalent of saying 'eyes wider than dinner plates', a common phrase that usually means shock or surprise.   
> Thank you so much for reading!  
> Fardrifter


	6. Coruscant

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lora arrives at the Jedi Temple and meets two Jedi, one who intrigues her, and one she hopes to never meet again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! So in this chapter, not much happens... except that Plo Koon nearly trips over Lora... and Clara is a karking di'kut... and Lora fantasizes about stealing Yoda's stick.... and I'll stop spoiling it. In the next chapter, Kirysumi will bring in some action, so stay tuned for that! I own none of these characters except for Callista, Reeta, Charrua, Ellorrs, Jae, Nack, Lora and her family (who will probably be mentioned). My sister owns Clara Bunehill (who unfortunately makes an appearance). Hope you enjoy!

Lora hesitantly took a step onto the shuttle, her black eyes glittering with apprehension. She'd never been off of Dorin before, and now it would be several years before she ever came back. Sha Koon had unhooked the mask from her belt and engaged it, putting the goggles on before turning to Lora.

"Do you need any help with yours?" Sha asked, and Lora thought her voice sounded different, more resonate within the mask.

"Ummm, yes? Where does this part go?" Lora pointed at the metal-tusk sort of things on the mask.

"Ah, that part goes over your mandibles. Just kind of slide them ove- yep! Just like that! Okay, now attach the rest of the mask over your mouth, and press this little button on the side to activate and seal it. Perfect! And then slide on the goggles! Nice." Sha explained. "

It's super uncomfortable! Will I ever get used to it?" Lora asked.

"You won't have to. This is just a temporary mask that will be used until we reach Coruscant. From there, we can get you a mask that fits you properly. Come on, let's go! I can't wait for you to meet everyone!" Sha exclaimed, bouncing on her heels like an excited toddler.

"Ok." Lora said, climbing onto the ship.

"Wait. This is very important. Do you feel kind of faint? Can you breathe properly?" Sha interrogated.

"No, I feel fine, and I can breathe good. It's still kinda clunky, but I don't think I'll die. At least, hopefully not." Lora said, smiling. Oh, wait, Sha couldn't see her smile anymore. She kriffing hated this mask.

"Excellent, excellent! Now let's head out so we can be there as soon as possible!" Sha walked into the shuttle and approached the shuttle cockpit, Lora at her heels. "Alright, sir, may we go back to Coruscant please?" Sha asked humorously, and Lora marveled at that. Sha was able to make a simple request be humorous and light.

"Yes ma'am!" The shuttle pilot said, and Sha led Lora to the back where they both sat.

"Is it far to Coruscant? I mean, how long is it exactly? I want to be there as soon as possible!" Lora was bouncing up and down in her seat from excitement, and also she was only really 5, so she wasn't exactly great at sitting still for long periods of time. Like five minutes.

"It's a good sized journey, but first we must actually make it out of Dorin. Dorin is located between two black holes, but our shuttle pilot is one of the best. He'll get us out of here. Don't worry!" Sha said. Lora made a little humming sound, kicked her feet against the floor, and tapped her fingers loudly on the seat.

"It's going to be a long journey." Sha sighed.

~***~

"Now, remember, stay calm, it's fine, nothing to worry about, just some JEDI MASTERS walking toward us." Sha said quickly as the shuttle landed. "Calm calm calm calm calm calm." Lora looked at her strangely.

"I am calm." she insisted for the twelfth time.

"I know, I'm just talking to myself. Don't worry, Lora, everything will be fine." Sha kept repeating that as the Jedi Masters walked toward the now-landed shuttle. The first was a beautiful human woman with olive skin, brown hair, and dark eyes. She wore a distasteful expression on her face. The second was... odd. He was small, for one thing, shorter even than Lora. And he wasn't a species that she recognized. He had green skin, long pointed ears, and green eyes. Tufts of wispy white hair clung to his otherwise bald head. He was walking with the aid of a small wooden stick.

"Hmm. Brought back a youngling, have you, Sha?" The green one croaked.

"Yes, Master Yoda." Sha replied, immense respect in her voice. "Her name is Lora Monu." Master Yoda nodded.

"Ah, see, I do. Small, this child is. But grow, she will." Really? This tiny little creature was calling _her_ small? Ironic. 

"Who is that?" Lora asked, pointing to the woman. A sense of displeasure reached Lora, coming from Sha. 

"That is Clara Bunehill." she said darkly.

"Tsk, tsk. It's _Master_ Bunehill to you, youngling." the woman replied haughtily. 

"I'm a Knight, actually. Have been for some time, _Bunehill_." Sha countered.

"Hmm. I hadn't noticed. You always behave so much like a youngling, I figured your Master elected to hold you back from becoming a Jedi Knight. What kind of scum are we letting in our Order?" Bunehill hissed out, and Lora was beginning to think of several other names for her. Yoda simply looked at Sha, waiting to see how she would react, and at that moment, Lora wanted to leap forward and steal that stupid stick out of his claws. Why wouldn't he do _something_?? 

"Come on, Lora, let's go meet your creche-mates." Sha spat, but Lora knew that Sha wasn't mad at her. Lora gave a glare in Clara's direction, but she doubted the Jedi could see it through the mask. Kriffing mask. 

Sha grabbed her hand, and Lora practically got dragged behind her as Sha walk-ran through the Temple. Lora didn't mind so much, though, because she knew how angry Sha was right now. Suddenly, Sha slammed on the brakes, but Lora couldn't quite stop in time. She continued forward, bonking into the legs of a Jedi Master, who nearly tripped and fell on his face. Cheeks flaming, Lora stood and ran behind Sha. She felt Sha's Force signature changing from anger to something approaching happiness. 

"Uncle!" she cried excitedly, throwing her arms around the Kel Dor who had nearly fallen. 

"Oh!" he said in surprise. Then he saw who it was and he hugged Sha back. "Hello, Sha. Is this the youngling that you were sent to find?" Sha released her uncle and stepped back.

"Yes. Lora, this is my uncle, Plo Koon. Uncle, this is Lora Monu. I'm going to take her to meet her creche-mates, then I'll take her to get a more permanent anti-ox mask." 

"I was just at the creche. B'ink and I, that is." Plo Koon said. 

"Were you visiting that little Togruta youngling? Callista, I believe it was? You may want to be careful. If she forms attachments with you guys... that could be bad." Sha said, and there was something uneasy in her voice. 

"Sha, it's fine. We only ever visit her once a week, and she's making fast friends with Reeta and Charrua. Will Lora be a part of their creche?" Plo Koon asked, studying Lora as he did so. 

"I don't think so. I'll put her in with Ellorrs, Jae, and Nack." Sha said, and her voice was very business-like, for Sha, at least. 

"Ah. Wise choice, Sha. I must be going now. Goodbye Lora. Goodbye Sha." Plo Koon said warmly. 

"'Bye, Master Koon." Lora said. 

"'Bye Uncle!" Sha waved as Plo Koon walked away. "Now, follow me, Lora, and I will introduce you to your new creche-mates!" Sha had explained everything on the way to Coruscant, so Lora was prepared for there to be children when she walked through the door. She was not disappointed. Three children were in various locations throughout the large room. The Duros and the Sullustan were talking in hushed voices about different lightsaber colors, and the Trandoshan was staring off into space, clutching a small toy blaster. As Lora walked into the room, all three looked up from what they were doing and stood hesitantly. The first one to speak was the Trandosian.

"Is _she_ gonna be in our creche now?" he said rudely. 

"Hey!" Sha reprimanded. "Be kind! But yes, she will be in the creche."

"Good to meet you. I am Ellorrs Slaki." said the Duros, blinking her wide gold eyes. Lora had never seen a Duros before, but she'd read about them in books. 

"I'm Jae Niuv!" said the Sullustan, smiling wider than she'd ever seen anyone smile. (and she'd just spent a day or so with Sha)

"Nack...?" Sha prompted gently.

"Fine. Nack. That's my name. Just Nack." Lora wanted to make a comment about how she was pretty sure it wasn't odd for Trandoshans to not have family names, since they could recognize one another by scent, like Wookies, but from the death glare on Nack's face she was pretty sure this wasn't the time.

"I'm Lora Monu. Nice to meet you all!" Lora said with as much enthusiasm as she could muster, which wasn't much. Ellorrs and Jae seemed fine, but Nack... Sha crouched next to Lora. 

"Goodbye, Lora. In an hour, all the creches will be let outside together, so try to make friends outside of your creche, okay? I have to go now, but I'll see you around." Sha said. Lora smiled mischievously.

"Just wait until your Uncle hears!" she said humorously. "You were literally _just_ lecturing him on how he shouldn't stop by to talk to the younglings!" Lora ran forward and gave Sha a big hug. Sha stood and said goodbye to the other younglings before walking away. 

"Hello Lora. Would you like to play with us?" Ellorrs asked. 

"Not right now. Where is my sleeping area?" Lora asked, trying to make it sound like she was really tired. 

"This way, come on!" The little hyper one, Jae, led her to a small room. Inside, it had two bunk beds and some dressers, Lora assumed so the younglings could store their stuff. 

"This is the girls' room." Ellorrs said. "I have this bed, down here. You may have the top, or any bed on the other bunk." Hm. Ellorrs was unusually formal. Nack still hadn't spoken a word, and he was glaring at her like she'd just kicked his loth-kitten. Lora walked over to the other bunk and climbed up to the top. 

"I think I'll take this one, if you don't mind." she said.

"Of course." Ellorrs said, and smiled. Lora couldn't help but feel like she'd like all of these children, even Nack, one day. She hopped down from her bunk when she heard a knocking coming from the creche-door. Sha stepped into the room, and there was a sense of exasperation coming from her. 

"I just ran to grab these!" Sha said, and held up a black anti-ox mask and goggles. 

"Yes!" Lora said, running over to them. "Can I put it on? Please please please? I swear, this one gets more uncomfortable by the minute!" Sha laughed and handed the anti-ox mask to her. 

"Now, you must be fast, alright? Are you sure you can disengage your current mask and put on the new one quick enough?" she asked cautiously. Lora rolled her eyes. Kriffing goggles. 

"Yes, I think I can." Lora took a deep breath of filtered oxygen and carefully disengaged the mask, exposing her mandibles. She quickly handed the old one to Sha and set the new one over her mandibles so that it fit perfectly. She pressed the button to engage it and slipped on the goggles. "There! See, told you I could do it!" Sha nodded. 

"Yes, you were right! I need to go, so have fun with your friends!" And with that, Sha was gone. Lora turned back over to her friends, who were all staring at her. Oh no.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I didn't mean to put Plo Koon in so many chapters lol. He's one of my favorite Jedi though, so while I try to keep him out of my chapters, I'm afraid that I'm fighting a losing battle. Yes, Duros can have gold eyes, it's just not as common. And Nack has some... potential drama surrounding him. I'm still wondering as to whether I should have Nack and Lora become friends and leave it at that, or have some other drama surrounding them. Tell me what you think!  
> Thank you so much for reading!  
> Fardrifter


	7. hi

Sorry I haven't posted in a while, school is just AAAHHHHHHHHH. But don't worry, I haven't given up on this story. I'll post once a week, but I'll make the chapters twice as long. Expect me to post every Saturday. You may get a bonus chapter every now and then ;)


	8. Fitting In (it's harder than it looks)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lora is mortified. The others in her creche have seen her without her mask, and she is afraid they might judge her. She turns to the only person she feels she can: Sha Koon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ack I haven't posted in two weeks. Also, I promised a Kirysumi chapter, and, yeah. That, um, didn't happen this time. But next chapter, promise. But don't worry, because Kirysumi gets like 5 when her time comes. This chapter was fairly short, but not to worry! Next week, I have a LOT of ground to cover with Kirysumi. SO MUCH HAPPENS AAAAH. No characters belong to me except for Lora, Ellorrs, Nast, Jae, Callista, Reeta, and Charrua. Enjoy!

Lora ducked her head, her cheeks burning. Thank goodness the others couldn't see that. How humiliating. She was aware that other species viewed Kel Dor as somewhat hideous, but she'd never thought she'd accidentally show her face under her mask! Lora backed toward the door, one step at a time. Ellorrs was the first to speak.

"Do all Kel Dor look like that?" Her tone wasn't harsh, or hurtful, just curious, but Lora's young mind warped it so that it sounded like an insult. Imagination is the greatest of blessings and the worst of curses.

"Um.." Lora whimpered, then pushed the door open and fled. She was vaguely aware of Jae calling out behind her, but she didn't care. She ran and ran until she saw Sha, talking with a Tholothian Jedi.

"Sha!" She cried, and Sha spun around. 

"Lora! What's wrong?" Sha exclaimed, noticing Lora's expression. 

"The others! They saw my face! Under the mask!" Lora cried, and Sha smiled.

"Is that all it is?" she asked. "It's alright."

"It's _not_ alright! Nast- he- he'll tease me forever!" Lora blubbered. "Then maybe, just maybe, you need to find new friends." Sha said. Just then, the recess bell rang. "Go. Go make new friends." Sha patted Lora on the head gently, then walked away.

"Sha.." Lora said, weakly. But she didn't pursue her. She knew that Sha was right. She had to solve her own problems, and she had to make new friends. She jogged through the Temple rooms, but couldn't find the play area. Three rights, ten lefts, and seven stops for directions later, she walked into a large room. Younglings were everywhere. She walk-ran, her head down, through the younglings. Suddenly, she saw... someone. The someone was a young Togruta girl about her age, with yellowish skin and cornflower lekku. She was talking excitedly with a Wookie and a Rodian. Lora blinked, and suddenly she didn't see the little girl anymore. In her place she saw an older girl, with similar colored lekku. This girl, however, had tan skin and no markings. The girl let out a growl, and a saber of the deepest red appeared in her hand. 

"YOU!" The girl screamed, and charged toward Lora. "YOU WILL DIE!" Lora froze, and the girl raised her saber, about to go for the killing blow. Suddenly, a yellow blade blocked it. 

Lora turned to see... herself. Older, stronger, wiser. Future-Lora's face was filled with pain.

"Whatever they've done to you, I'm sorry. You must fight it." Future-Lora begged, and the girl's face twisted with hate and cruel humor.

"That's just it! I _chose_ this!" The girl hissed.

"Then I'm afraid Tyr is right. You are weak." Future-Lora told the girl bluntly, and the vision faded, leaving Lora with many questions, such as: _THE KRIFF JUST HAPPENED? Who was the girl? Why was she so angry? I have a yellow lightsaber? Do I know this girl? Is the girl related to the Togruta over there? Who is Tyr? What's going on? Does this happen soon?_

Lora sat down. She had to try to reach the vision again. She closed her eyes and concentrated. She was vaguely aware of a someone shaking her, but she shrugged them off. She _had_ to find out what was happening. She heard someone yelling. What are they doing? Couldn't they see she was concentrating? Lora's eyes popped open to see Nast and Ellorrs standing in front of her. 

"LORA!" Nast was shouting, while Ellorrs shook her. 

"What?! I'm trying to concentrate!" Lora said, and there was an undertone of anger in her voice. 

" _Oh for Kriff's sake!_ LOOK AROUND YOU, LORA!" Nast exclaimed. Lora glanced up in surprise to see hundreds of glowing orbs filling the room, floating In the air, their soft golden light illuminating everything. The younglings were staring up at the orbs in awe and just a hint of fear. Jae's eyes widened.

"How did you do that?" Jae asked, for Lora's entire body was draped in golden light. She was _glowing_. 

"I- I didn't mean to." she muttered, then crumpled.

~***~

Lora woke up in a warm, white bed. She yawned and opened her eyes, taking in her surroundings. Her creche-mates were sitting around her bed, playing with several toys. However, Lora was most definitely _not_ in the creche. Where was she? The walls were white, the floor was white, everything was white. A beeping machine was next to her bed. Ellorrs glanced up to see Lora looking around and stood suddenly, rushing toward her and crushing Lora with her hug. Lora gritted her teeth. Needless to say, she'd not been expecting such a strong grip from the shy and formal Ellorrs.

"Lora!" Ellorrs cried. "We were _so_ worried about you! Jae asked you how you did the golden orb thingie, then you just passed out! Nast started yelling for help, I tried to hold you up, and Jae burst into tears! Then a few other younglings got some Masters and they brought you to the Healing Room." 

"Now you're gonna be okay, right Lora?" Jae asked, and his big black eyes widened with thousands of fears and hopes all at the same time. Lora closed her eyes briefly, searching herself. Besides sore ribs (thanks, Ellorrs) and a slightly throbbing head, Lora felt... fine. Besides the obvious dread of seeing an ominous vision such as a Togruta trying to kill her future self, of course, because that's not terrifying at all. But yeah, she was _perfectly_ fine. Suddenly Lora remembered the reason she had been so afraid to stay by her creche-mates in the first place.

"You guys aren't... afraid of me?" Lora asked, and the last couple words were nothing more than a squeak. Jae looked at her incredulously. 

"Afraid? Of you? Why?" he asked, and he sounded genuinely confused.

"I- I just thought because... under the mask and.." Lora trailed off. 

"Really?" Jae asked. " _That's_ what this is about? Seriously? I'm a _Sullustan_. We aren't exactly the most handsome beings in the universe, though, I, or course, am an exception." Jae struck a dramatic pose, and Lora couldn't help stifling a smile at his antics.

"I'm a Trandoshan, Lora." Nast said, and his scaly mouth was split in a grin. "You'll have to search the galaxy hard to find a more fierce, bloodthirsty and hateful species." 

"Besides, I'm a Duros." Ellorrs put in. "My species doesn't exactly have a flawless reputation. We are known as murderers and thieves. But the Kel Dor are known as wise and kind, and what is within is often more important than what is without. It doesn't matter _what_ you look like on the outside. You have a joyful heart, and your enemies will have to fight hard to take that away from you." Lora knew that Ellorrs' words were supposed to be reassuring, but when she mentioned 'enemies', a shiver went down Lora's spine. She had looked grown-up in the vision, but because of the _k_ _riffing mask_ she couldn't tell how old exactly. When did she fight this Togruta? And did said Togruta succeed in taking away Lora's 'joyful heart'? What did the Togruta have to do with the Togruta youngling? 

"Thanks guys." Lora said gratefully, shoving the vision to her _I'll-deal-with-this-later_ cabinet. "Now, can I go? I really want to get back to the creche." 

Nast smiled. "Yeah, the Healer said you could leave if you woke and felt well enough. He told us to tell you not to leave if you felt bad." Lora shrugged.

"Well. I feel fine. Now, let's go!" she hopped out of the Infirmary bed, and ran to the entrance, her creche right behind her. _Her_ creche. Part of it thrilled her, and the other part scared her. She had friends, and they all seemed to care about her. But at the same time, what if she let them down?

' _Calm down._ ' Lora told herself. ' _Live in the moment. I will be fine. I am not in the future. I am not the future-Lora fighting a Sith. And maybe, just maybe, I never will be. I am young. I am following my friends to the creche. I am in the here and now, not the there and then. Here and now._ ' Lora glanced up to see Jae turning. 

"C'mon, Lora!" he called, waving his arm. Lora grinned and ran after Ellorrs, Nast, and Jae.

~***~ 

_Couple months later_

Lora ran out to the playground, Nast and Jae right behind her. Ellorrs was finishing her schoolwork (of course) because Ellorrs. Lora sat and concentrated. Sha had said to work on her meditation, especially in areas of distraction, and there was no place more distracting than a large room where younglings between the ages of 4 and 13 are running around. She had confronted Sha about the horrible vision and Sha had told her to focus her power. If Lora could learn to control her power, she wouldn't be as timid with them. 'The more one understands something, the less fearful they are.' Those were Sha's exact words. Lora took deep breaths, clearing her mind slowly. Lora was just reaching a meditative state when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She opened her eyes with a small sigh of exasperation to see a young Togruta girl who looked about her age. The girl was the same girl Lora had seen before, and the same girl who triggered the vision. 

"Hi." the girl began in a rush, like she'd prepared the speech in her head, then forgotten it. "Hi. So, you're the one that passed out a few months ago, right? Well, anyways, you know Master Sha Koon, right? Like, you guys are friends? Well, I'm friends with her uncle, Master Plo Koon. So I wanted to say hi. So... hi." Lora blinked.

"What's even your name?" Lora asked hesitantly. The girl blushed.

"Sorry, I forgot that part." she mumbled, then started speaking at a normal volume. "My name is Callista Maak. And yours?"

"Lora Monu." Lora replied. Callista nodded. 

"Those are my friends." Callista said, pointing to a Rodian and a Wookie talking loudly a few paces away. Well, the Wookie was talking loudly. "The Rodian is Reeta Chatzza. She's great. And the Wookie is Charrua. He _looks_ scary, but he's a big softie." 

"Oh, cool!" Lora said. "They sound nice! I'm going to confess something, Callista." Callista made a big, exaggerated show of looking around to make sure no one was listening, then leaned in excitedly. 

"What is it?" she asked quickly.

"Well, I've been here for a few months, and I haven't made any new friends that are outside of my creche. Would you like to be the first?" Lora asked. She knew it was kind of upfront, but she was suddenly certain.

"Sure!" Callista said happily. "Who are your creche-mates? I've seen the Sullustan around, but I don't know his name, and I don't know the others."

"The Sullustan's name is Jae, the Duros's name is Ellorrs, and the Trandoshan's name is Nast. Jae is really hyper, but he's pretty cool. Ellorrs is _very_ formal, and she never shows much emotion, but after you've been friends with her, you can tell what she's feeling pretty easily."

"Oh, I've heard of Ellorrs!" Callista exclaimed. "She came top of the class last week, didn't she?"

"Yup, that's Ellorrs, all right." Lora said, rolling her eyes. "And Nast is hard-headed, stubborn as a kriffing mule, and unpleasant _-if you don't know him_. If you know him, he's helpful (in his own way) and can even be nice." Callista grinned.

"That sounds like a fun creche!" she said. "Wanna come meet mine?" 

"Sure, why not?" Lora shrugged and made her way over to where Reeta and Charrua were talking, Callista right behind her. Reeta saw her first. 

"Hello!" Reeta said, waving a bluish hand. "I'm Reeta! This is Charrua."

"My name is Lora!" Lora said, and Charrua gave a little roar.

"He says that he is happy to meet you." Callista said, and Lora did a double-take.

"You speak Wookish?" she asked incredulously. She'd heard that Wookish was remarkably hard to learn. 

"Well, yeah. So does Reeta. And we both are learning Rodian and Togrutan, so we can speak to each other in our native languages. Charrua thought it would be fun if we learned a bunch of different ones." Callista explained.

"That's pretty cool." Lora said, and she noticed Nast, Jae, and Ellorrs (who was _finally_ done with her studying) walking toward them. "HEY! ELLORRS, NAST, JAE! OVER HERE!" Lora shouted, waving her hand in the air. Lora's creche-mates saw her and ran over, skidding to halt beside her.

"Oooh! New people!" Jae squealed excitedly. "Hi hi hi! My name is Jae!"

"I'm Callista, and this is Reeta and Charrua." Callista said, introducing each of the younglings.

"This is Jae, as I'm sure you guessed, Nast, and Ellorrs," Lora said, pointing to each as she spoke. Just as she finished her sentence, the younglings started walking back toward their respective creches. The hour was up. And what a great hour! Lora said goodbye to Callista, Reeta, and Charrua and walked with the rest of her creche back to their bedrooms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter was short, Kirysumi's will be MUCH longer. Also, some action! Thanks for reading!  
> Fardrifter


	9. Peace (For Now)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kirysumis' has a nice night with her family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FINALLY. It's the long awaited (by me, anyways) Kirysumi chapter. Sorry I didn't update on Monday, I was held up. No characters belong to me except for Ra (Kiry's mum), Zham (Kiry's dad), and Kirysumis'. Hope you enjoy!

Kirysumis' sighed, reclining on the couch. She stood as soon as she saw her mother walking into the small house, dragging a bushel of lemweeds. (A/N lemweeds are my own creation, a type of wheat/corn-like crop that bears a small, edible, purplish fruit.) 

"Kirysumis'!" Ras' snapped as she saw her daughter standing idly by. "You should be in your room, weaving baskets! I need to sell these crops today, and I need baskets to do so!" Kirysumis' hung her head in shame. 

"I'm sorry, Mother. But there were so many, and I hadn't had a break since early this morning." she whispered, the setting sun hot on her green skin. 

Ras' expression softened. " _I'm_ sorry, Kirysumis'. You act so mature I sometimes forget you're only eight. You can have a break, and I'll get some of the riper lemweeds out so you can have a snack. How's that sound?" Kirysumis' smiled. 

"I'd like that, thank you," Kirysumis' said. Ras' dragged the lemweeds into the kitchen and began chopping them up, readying them to sell. She ripped a couple fruits off the plants and handed a couple to Kirysumis', who gulped them down happily, glancing around her happy little home. The Secura home, like many Twi'lek homes, was mostly open-air. Only the bedrooms had all four walls and a roof. The kitchen and main room were open to the garden where Ras' grew the lemweeds, and there was no roof. Just bright, blazing sunlight. Kirysumis' suddenly longed for the cool shade of her bedroom, and stood from where she was propped up by a pillar. 

"I think I'll head back into my room and finish on the baskets." Kirysumis' said, and, once her mother had nodded, scampered back into her room. She stared at the piles of straw, and Kirysumis' kinda wanted to turn tail and shout, "NEVER MIND!", but she knew she couldn't do that. She had to sit down and finish the job, because her entire family was counting on her. Her father still had his job as a barkeep, but multiple other bars had opened up, and Zhams' had to deal with a bunch of competition. Ras' was busy cutting lemweeds and wouldn't be done until it was time to sell. 

Kirysumis' grabbed some straw and began weaving it in an intricate fashion, one piece on top of the next, until she lost track of time. When she looked outside, it was night. She'd completed almost six baskets, and the pile of straw had dwindled considerably. Kirysumis' crawled over to the pile and curled up in it. 

' _I'll only close my eyes for a second. Just a second, then I'll get back to work_.' she told herself, but it was an hour later when Ras' came in to collect the baskets to see Kirysumis' still passed out in the straw. Ras' smiled to herself. She took the baskets, set the lemweeds inside, and walked out the door toward the market. A few minutes later, Zhams' walked through the front door of his house. He beelined for his daughter's room, intending to see how she was doing. He smiled when he found her asleep on the straw, her brilliant cobalt eyes closed, her mouth hanging open slightly. 

"Kirysumis'." Zhams' said, and Kirysumis' jolted awake. 

"DAD!" she cried, throwing herself into his arms with such force it nearly knocked him over. 

"Heeeeeyyy, sweetheart. How ya doing?" he tustled her lekku and she laughed. 

"I'm doing great!" Kirysumis' said, and Zhams' smiled. It was a sad fact, but they rarely saw each other anymore. Zhams' would leave for work before Kirysumis' was even awake, and come home after she was well asleep. 

"Would you like me to tell you a story?" he asked her, and Kirysumis' grinned and clapped her hands together. 

"Yes, please!" she exclaimed, and Zham picked her up and set her in her bed. 

"Alright. Once upon a time, there was a beautiful Twi'lek. She lived with her kindly father and her wicked stepmother and stepsisters. However, they appeared to be kind until Ash's -that was the Twi'lek's name- father died. After that, they were horrible and cruel to her, forcing her to be a servant. One day, she heard about a beautiful ball, and she desperately wanted to go. She fixed up a dress that was so beautiful. However, once she showed it to her stepmother and stepsisters, they tore it to shreds."

" _No._ " Kirysumis' said in a hushed voice, her eyes widening. 

"Yes." said her father gravely. "Then the stepsisters and stepmother left for the ball without Ash. She felt very alone, and began to cry. Suddenly, there was a flash of light, and a gorgeous Twi'lek woman appeared. But this was no normal Twi'lek. She was glowing, you see."

"Who is she, Daddy?" Kirysumis' asked, on the edge of her se- bed with anticipation. 

"You'll see," Zhams' laughed, poking her gently on the nose with his finger. "She introduced herself as the Fairy Godmother, and made a dress of the finest silk for Ash. Then, she waved her crystal wand and beautiful glass slippers appeared on Ash's feet. Ash smiled and rode her blurrg to the ball."

"Where does the story end? Is that it? What happens to Ash's stepmother?" Kirysumis' asked.

Zhams' laughed. "I would tell you, but it's getting pretty late. Tomorrow I'll finish the story, alright?" 

Kirysumi groaned but nodded. 

Zham tucked her into bed, pulling the covers up around her, and gave her a kiss on the forehead before going up to his bedroom. Kirysumi drifted off to sleep happily. 

When she woke, it was raining fire. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hehehehe this chapter is super short, but another one is coming Saturday. Thanks for reading!


	10. Burning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kirysumis' wakes to a house on fire, a fire that she thinks was deliberately caused.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have been gone for so long, forgive me! Writers block sucks. Also school. School sucks too. Has been kinda nice hanging out with my friends though. Star Wars doesn't belong to me, you know the drill.  
> Hope you enjoy!  
> Fardrifter

Kirysumis’ screamed as the flames rose higher, obscuring her view of the door. The roof was flaming, and it was spreading to her bed and the pile of hay. She pressed her back against the wall, trembling and coughing as the smoke got into her lungs.

“Help! Mother! Father! Help, please!” She cried, but no one answered. Maybe they were asleep. Or maybe, maybe, they were. . . Kirysumis’ cut off that thought. They had probably already escaped, that was all. Suddenly, she felt a breeze whisper past her, and she gasped.

‘ _Where is that coming from?’_ She thought frantically, before looking just beside her. The window, of course! She climbed onto the windowsill, feeling the hungry flames burn her heels as she jumped onto the grass below. She rolled away from the flames, gasping for breath. The cool night air felt heavenly on her ashy skin. Several Twi’lek families gathered around her, staring and pointing at the blazing house. One Twi’lek gave a cry of fear and delight and ran forward, throwing her arms around Kirysumis’.

“Mother!” Kirysumis’ cried as her mother hugged her tight. Kirysumis’ felt warm drops hit her lekku, and with a shock, realized her mother was crying. “Mother?” She asked. “Where’s Father?”

“He- He hasn’t made it out, not yet. But don’t worry Kiry, I’m sure he’ll come out soon enough. He has to! It’ll all be fine, it has to be fine, it will be fine, because it has to be!” Her mother rambled, and Kirysumis’ pulled herself from Ras’ grasp as she stared at the flames, which had almost totally devoured her house.   
“No!” Kirysumis’ whispered as a large portion of her house fell. The chance of Zhams’ making it out was seeming less and less. Suddenly a gray Twi’lek stumbled from the flames, patches of his true green skin showing through.

“Zhams’!” Ras’ cried, running forward and hugging her husband.

“Ras’. . . Kiry. . . Glad you are. . . safe. . .” he coughed and collapsed, greatly weakened by the smoke inside of him, and covered in burns. Ras’ lay him down on the grass, and she and Kirysumis’ dragged him far from the fire before pulling him down to a small pond. They dunked him in and carefully pulled him back out. Kirysumis’s arms hurt, but she didn’t care as she curled up in the grass a few feet from her unconscious father. Her family was safe. They didn’t have a house anymore, but it didn’t matter. They would find shelter, they would survive, and eventually, they would thrive. The Secura family always managed to bounce back from the hardships (of which there were many). Kirysumis’ had her family, and that was what mattered. That was _all_ that mattered. Ras’ was talking to the Twi’leks, trying to figure out what had started the fire, when Zhams’ woke up. He coughed, and Kirysumis’ raced over to him.

“Daddy, Daddy, are you going to be okay?” She asked frantically, and Zhams’ nodded weakly.

“After a few days of rest and maybe some fresh air and possibly some medicine, yes, I believe I am going to be fine. Don’t worry, Kiry.” Zham’s said as he stroked his daughter’s lekku gently. Ras’ ran over, her big hazel eyes fraught with worry.

“You’ll be fine?” She asked, and Zhams’ smiled.

“Wow, what a bunch of worrywarts I have for a wife and daughter!” He teased. “Yes, I think I’ll be alright. I think _we’ll_ be alright,” he said, and Ras’ covered her mouth with her hands, tears leaking from the corners of her eyes. At first, Kirysumis’ was confused. Why would Ras’ cry? This was a happy moment. Then it hit her, as she watched the smile on Ras’ face grow, she realized Ras’ was crying _happy_ tears. Kirysumis’ hadn’t realized that it was possible to cry happily. Every time she’d seen tears, it was never tears of joy. It was tears of pain, like when Zhams’ had broken his toe, or tears of sadness, like when Aaylas’ left. Kirysumis’ hated to see her mother cry, but she felt much better knowing it was tears of love.

Kirysumis’ lay down next to her mother, who bundled her to her side.

Kirysumis’ woke later that night, almost morning, really, but she didn’t know why she’d woken until she heard the shattering of timber from inside her house. It was finally falling all the way down. The flames had proved to much for the bare skeleton of a home, and it fell with a creaking, shuddering sigh of relief. Kirysumis’ gazed sadly at the only home she’d ever known, reduced to a pile of ruins and ash.

_Who would do this? Who would set this fire?_ She had no proof, of course, but a strong. . . _something_ inside of her was telling her that the fire was deliberate. However, she could only wait and see who had burned her house to the ground.

Unfortunately for Kirysumis’, she didn’t have to wait long.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So you have my full permission to come start a mob with pitchforks and torches to come after me, I'm evil. A month of waiting and then BAM, a chapter with Kirysumis' wondering what's happened. HOWEVER! My writers block is clearing up, and this story is officially 'updates when it updates', so expect a more... content filled chapter soon! In the meantime you can also read Fire in the Skies if How to Train Your Dragon is your jam ;) I'm on Wattpad now, by the way (same name), and while ROTNO isn't posted on there yet, it will be soon! If I ever remember, that is...  
> Hope you enjoyed!  
> Fardrifter


	11. Atassk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kirysumis' finds out who starts the fire.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What'd I tell you, eh? Here's a more content-filled chapter, and after this, Kirysumis' little mini arc's plot really starts to speed up. I own literally every character in this chapter but not the species, or Ryloth, or the Star Wars franchise :)  
> Hope you enjoy!  
> Fardrifter

Kirysumis’ scrambled to her feet as a. . . figure appeared in the burned, blackened, husk of her house. She quickly shook her parents awake as the figure grew closer.

“Kirysumis’? What’s wrong?” Ras’ asked, sitting up blearily.

“That,” Kirysumis’ pointed as the figure crouched, inspecting a blackened beam. “Who is that?”

“I. . . don’t know,” Zhams’ admitted, standing as quickly as he could.

“Hey, you!” Ras’ called. The figure turned, and Kirysumis’ wished they had just left and not bothered the stranger. He had menacing looking sharp fingernails with gleaming yellow eyes that seemed to glow, but Kirysumis’ couldn’t tell who -or _what_ \- he (or she) was.

“Who are you?” Zhams’ asked, his arms instinctively spreading to shield Kirysumis’.

“Ah, my friend,” the stranger hissed. Yup, definitely a male. “I’m surprised you couldn’t recognize me! After all the good times we had!” He stepped out of the shadows, and Ras’ gasped.

Kirysumis’ didn’t see what the problem was. Sure, he was a hulking, scary Trandoshan (the sharp fingernails made so much sense now!), but that didn't exactly mean much, right? 

“Hello, Mister!” Kirysumis’ wanted to say, but that same _something_ as earlier told her that might be a bad idea, so she kept her mouth shut.

“Atassk, I told you, I’ll get you your money,” Zhams’ said darkly. “But stay away from Kirysumis’.”

“Ah, see, here’s the problem. My boys are angry. Real mad. Nothin’ I can do ‘bout that, ‘course! They just want their. . . payment. And I must admit, I’ve been waiting for _mine_ too. I tried talkin’ some sense into ‘em, I really, really did, but. . .” The Trandoshan -Atassk- gestured at the brittle remains of Kirysumis’ birth home. Her _only_ home.

The blood roared in Kirysumis’ ears, and she didn’t like the expression on Atassk’s face. It was too pleased, too smug, too cruelly happy. If Kirysumis’ had to guess, she’d say that Atassk was the one who had asked, convinced, possibly even pressured for the house to be burnt down, and the _something_ inside of her was inclined to agree.

“ _You_ did it! I should’ve _known_ not to trust thieving, despicable scum!” Zhams’ hissed, but Atassk merely laughed.

“Oh, come now, Zhams’. Hissing is _my_ thing. ‘Sides, you should’ve. Nothin’ I can say to that. And scum? Yes, you’d be correct,” Atassk inspected his fingernails (claws?) calmly.

“We were getting the payment! We just needed a bit more time! I was going to sell out at the market, and then, as per our arrangement, seventy-five percent would’ve been yours! Please, just leave us alone!” Ras’ begged.

Kirysumis’, who had been listening in engrossed silence, now spoke.“What the kriff are you guys talking about?”

Atassk tilted back his head and laughed a full, throaty laugh. “You didn’t even tell the kid ‘ere? Oh, oh! That’s the funniest thing I ever did hear!”

“Kirysumis’, five things,” Zhams’ said, his back still turned to her.

“Yes?” Kirysumis’ asked.

“Watch your language, first. We don’t say ‘kriff’ in the Secura household,” he lectured sternly turning to face her.

“But- you and Mom say it all th-”

“Kirysumis’.” Zhams’ said sharply, and Kirysumis’ nodded glumly. “Second, it’s going to be okay. Take this.” He handed her a piece of paper that said ‘Shuttle 1A’ on it. “Take this if you are ever afraid. Third, do _not_ let your anger take you over. It can hurt the person you love the most, even if you don’t realize it. Fourth, I love you so, so much. Fifth, RUN!” He shouted, and Ras’ grabbed Kirysumis’s hand, racing for the nearest alley.

“Mom!” Kirysumis’ cried as they ran. “Wha- what about Dad? Why isn’t he coming? Why are we running?”

Ras’ offered no answer, just kept running.

Finally they made it to the very edges of the largest city in their district. Ras’ slowed to a stop, panting.

“Come here, Kirysumis’. Let me see you,” she said, grasping Kirysumis’ head in her hands. “You’re so brave, so brave. That bravery is going to be tested, soon. Just don’t give up hope, alright? To answer your questions, Zhams’ is staying to talk to Atassk. Maybe he can strike a deal. He knows where we’re headed; we planned just in case something like this happened. We’re running because that was a very, very bad man.”

Kirysumis’ stepped away from her mother, her cobalt eyes full of fear and confusion and a tiny hint of betrayal.

“What was he doing there? How did he know you? What did he mean by ‘you didn’t even tell her’? Who _was_ he?”

“That was Atassk, as you know. He runs a local gang. The other gangs are like bees, and he’s the queen bee, in the center of it all. Controlling it all. He. . . came to collect his fee,” Ras’ sighed, lowering her head.

“What fee? How did he _know_ you?” Kirysumis’ asked, a tear starting to form in the corner of her eye. If Atassk was as dangerous as her mother said, Kirysumis’ didn’t want her father anywhere near him.

Ras’ took a deep breath and met Kirysumis’ eyes. “Because we were the ones that hired him.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was writing along and looked at my percent and thought, 'Darn it, I'm at 9%, that's a problem.' and I didn't have my charger, so have a little cliffhanger. I will definitely keep writing though, I want this arc out of the way. No more 1-month hiatuses ;) (Unless I get writers block again, because seriously, I could write a 40 page essay about how much that sucks) Thanks for reading!  
> Until next time,  
> Fardrifter


	12. Pain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kirysumis' learns a hard truth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I've been gone a while, I'm in qUaRaNtInE. I'm 90% sure I have COVID, as well. I've been coughing, I have a runny nose, and I've been extremely fatigued.  
> None belong to me, except for my OCs, blah blah you know the drill.  
> Enjoy!

“Wh- what?” Kirysumis’ stumbled away from her mother, tears of disbelief and pain running down her face.

“Kirysumis’, I’m sorry!” Ras’ cried, extending her arms toward her daughter, but Kirysumis’ ignored her.

“How could you do this to me? To our neighbors? To yourselves?” Kirysumis’ shouted. Ras’ had a heartbroken expression on her face, but it only served to make Kirysumis’ angrier.

“We did it to protect you,” Ras’ whispered.

Kirysumis’ glared at her mother. “What?”

“I said, we did it to protect you!” Ras’ yelled, and Kirysumis’ lowered her eyes, feeling like she might break in two.

“That’s not protection,” she murmured, and Ras’s eyes widened.

“Listen,” she began, but Kirysumis’ cut her off.

“Why should I ever listen to you again? _Your_ stupid decisions got my father killed!” Kirysumis’ snarled, and Ras’s expression contorted into fury.

“It was both of our decisions! And yes, it was stupid, it was so, so stupid! But it was the _only_ way to protect you! Remember Freston?”

Kirysumis’ scrunched up her face, trying to ignore her mother, but her traitorous mind brought up the image of the little lethan Twi’lek anyways. The one that had been taken by a gang.

“He was taken, and- and we couldn’t let the same happen to you. W- we couldn’t let you be taken like your sister,” Ras’ expression broke, but she composed herself. “So, for three-quarters of the salary we made selling lemweed, we hired Atassk and his goons to protect our family from other gangs.

"Atassk loved a good fight, and we figured that by hiring him, he would get what he wanted -the chance to show up the other gangs- and get paid on top. A few years later, the system was still working, and you didn’t suspect a thing.

"And then the fire was started, and- and we assumed, of course, but until he appeared in the skeleton of the house, we didn’t know for _sure_.”

“We left Father all alone with a killer,” Kirysumis’ realized, her eyes widening. “We have to go back!”

“Kirysumis’, we’ll be killed!” Ras’ cried.

“Probably. But I have to help my father. Are you coming?” Kirysumis’ asked, holding out a hand. “I don’t forgive you, not yet, but I understand you were trying to protect me.”

Ras’s face filled with determination and she grabbed Kirysumis’ hand. “Alright,” she said, “let’s go save Zhams’.”

~***~

Kirysumis’ could smell smoke. Every instinct she possessed was telling her to run, to hide, to come back for her father later, but the strange _something_ inside her was telling her she needed to move forward, so she did. Her mother, beside her, held a blaster, and she had tucked the little piece of paper that Kirysumis’ had inside of Kirysumis’s pocket.

The two emerged on a nearby hill, where they could see the broken husk of their home. Kirysumis’ swallowed back her mounting dread and strode down the hill, pushing in the blackened door. Once inside the house, she gasped, taking in the home she used to know. There wasn’t any sign of Atassk and his gang, so there was that. Ras’ walked into the back rooms to investigate.

“Kirysumis’!” She heard her mother call, her voice cracking with grief. Kirysumis’ ran into the back room, falling to her knees when she saw what was inside of it.

Cradled in her mothers arms, Ras’ tears streaked down his face and neck, was Zhams’.

His chest wasn’t moving.

His eyes were closed.

There was a blaster wound in his chest.

“No, no, no, no!” Kirysumis’ choked, tears running hot and fast down her face.

“Oh yes,” Atassk said, stepping out from behind a collapsed wall.

“Kirysumis’, ru-” her mother called, scrambling to her feet, but collapsing again as a blaster shot went off.

Kirysumis’ stared down at her mother’s body.

She looked almost peaceful, if you could ignore the dust and grime streaking her skin and the tears running down her face.

“So,” said Atassk. “You’re either going to pay up, or die.” He hefted the blaster, smiling menacingly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so that happened. I just love to put my girl Kirysumis' through the blender, don't I? Poor child.  
> Thanks for reading!  
> Fardrifter


	13. Ella

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kirysumis' hauls tail

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I keep getting more and more creative with those title names, don't I?  
> Anyways, nothing belongs to me except for every single character in this chapter :P  
> Enjoy,  
> Fardrifter

Kirysumis’ quivered, backing up until she felt rough stone against her back. Atassk’s mouth twitched, curving up into a cold smile.

“So, girl, what’s it gonna be?” One of his buddies, a Twi’lek, asked, his finger curling around the trigger of his blaster.

“I-I don’t have any money!” Kirysumis’ said defiantly, and Atassk snarled.

“You better find some, then!” He hissed, thrusting his green and brown face dangerously close to Kirysumis’.

“You killed my parents! Why should I give you anything you want?” Kirysumis’ shouted.

“Ah, see, ‘cause, otherwise, we’re going to kill you,” Atassk hissed gleefully, stepping closer. Kirysumis’ shrank against the wall.

“Right, she ain’t givin’ us what we want. Kill ‘er,” Atassk ordered, stepping back and allowing the Twi’lek and a human to step forward and level their blasters to Kirysumis’s head and chest. Kirysumis’ froze, feeling tingly, but she wasn’t sure if it was from fear or anger or something else.

Time seemed to slow.

Kirysumis’ saw their fingers squeezing the trigger.

She thrust out her hands, feeling the tingly feeling go from her stomach, travel down her arms, and make its way into her hands.

She saw the Twi’lek fly back, smacking his head on a rock as he landed. A small spray of blood appeared on the rock.

She saw the human reel over, and then an ugly snap that sounded like something was broken.

She saw Atassk smash into a still-standing wall, his back grinding against it, his eyes drooping as he fell unconscious with the force of his crash. A smear of red was left where he’d hit the wall.

Kirysumis’ stared at her hands in confusion as the man raised his blaster at her, his leg twisted in an unnatural position. The man’s face was a mask of rage and pain, and Kirysumis’ plucked the gun from his hand, pointed it at his chest, and pulled the trigger. The blaster shot echoed against the frame of her house, and she shuddered at the thought of what she’d just done. She studied the pistol, slightly repulsed, and tucked it into her belt. She thought briefly of dropping it, but she was on her own now. All alone. Kirysumis’ felt a tear start to slide down her cheek, and she reminded herself the gang members were right in front of her, possibly about to wake up. The time to mourn would come later.

Kirysumis’ pressed a kiss against her mother’s forehead. “Rest well, Ras’ecura,” she muttered, then whispered a faint goodbye in Ryl. She knelt next to her father, and did the same.

Kirysumis’ raced out onto the streets of Ryloth, feeling the eyes of a few Twi’leks on her as she barreled down the street, her lekku flying behind her. She wasn’t sure where she was going, but she let the _something_ guide her, turning and running and turning and running, just trying to distance herself from the gang, her house, and her family. She felt something digging into her stomach, and she slowed to a stop, gasping for breath. She wiped the sweat from her face and checked her pocket. A small piece of paper winked up at her, the black writing scrawled across its surface slightly smeared, but still legible.

_Shuttle 1A_.

Her father’s words echoed back to her, and she squeezed the paper tighter, feeling the paper start to crumble up beneath her fist.

Kirysumis’ sighed, her mind made up. She studied the street she was on, noting a young woman standing by a store front, a furious expression on her face. The woman had chocolate brown skin and black hair done up in ringlets framing her face. Eyes so dark they appeared black simmered with frustration, and she wore simple green and brown clothes which hugged her frame, clearly built for moving around quickly and efficiently.

“Um, excuse me?” Kirysumis’ asked, gathering her courage. She noticed a large blaster strapped to the woman’s hip and she stepped back hesitantly.

“Yes?” The woman snapped, turning to face Kirysumis’. Her eyes softened a fraction when she saw the kid she was talking to.

“I was wondering, where’s the nearest shuttle station?” Kirysumis’ questioned, and the woman’s eyes narrowed, studying Kirysumis’ closely.

“You speak Aurebesh?” The woman asked, folding her arms.

“Ah- yes. Yes I do. My name is Kirysumis’, and I really, really need to get away from this planet.”

“Hm. I’m sure.” Kirysumis’ started at the woman’s sarcastic tone. “I’m not showing you the shuttle station until you show me where your parents are, ya hear kid? Where’s your parents?”

Kirysumis’ looked down, feeling her parent’s death hit her harder than ever. “They- there was a gang. . . they told me to run, and-”

The woman knelt down to look Kirysumis’ in the eye. “Oh,” she said softly. “I’m sorry, kid. I didn’t know.”

Kirysumis’ nodded, feeling tears start to blur her vision.

“Well, what’s done is done. The time to mourn will come later.” Kirysumis’ said, blinking the tears back as best she could.

“What were looking for, kiddo? The nearest shuttle station?” The woman asked, and Kirysumis’ nodded. “Where are you going?”

“I-I don’t know,” Kirysumis’ admitted, rather shamefully. “Away from here, I suppose. Would you happen to know where Shuttle 1A is going to?”

The woman’s face brightened. “So you’re going to Coruscant! Y’know, as luck would have it, so am I! I’ll take you there, how about that! My name is Ella, by the way!”

“Why are you helping me?” Kirysumis’ asked suspiciously. “I don’t have any credits, so I can’ pay you.”

“I’m not looking for credits,” Ella said. “I need to get to Coruscant, and the least I can do is show a little kid to where she needs to go. The streets of Coruscant are awfully cruel to young orphan girls, trust me.” Ella seemed lost in thought for a second, then shook her head. “Ah, but what does it matter? Let’s get you to Coruscant!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for the delay. I have a separate doc where I write down my chapters, due to some incidents where the tab accidentally closed and deleted four days of work. So anyways, I wrote down most of this chapter and whenever I thought about it after that I thought 'oh I literally just updated, so I'm fine.' when actually I'd just written it down. Anyways, here's the loooong overdue chapter!  
> Thanks for reading!  
> Fardrifter

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed! In case you weren't sure, here's a time period. Cal is 14 during the Phantom Menace, 24 during Attack of the Clones, and 27 during Revenge of the Sith. The rest of the Clone Wars-era story will mostly be related one-shots about Callista's training under Plo Koon, but as that's not the main focus of this story, there won't be too much.  
> Hana Kye: Kaminoan  
> Callista: Togruta  
> Cal's parents: Togruta  
> Thanks so much for reading!  
> Fardrifter


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